Rising and Underlying Tension II

Politics is the macro expression of a micro pattern.

Rising and underlying tension is just as prevalent within every human being. When we have an issue that has not been solved this problem does not just go away. We may feel like we are dealing with a problem and working through things when in actuality we are repressing the issue. This means that tension festers and multiplies on a subconscious level. It builds and builds until a person becomes more tense than human and fails to escape the cycle. We frequently live in the past and therefore frequently face apparently dormant tension.

Living in the future is equally problematic. When we look too far ahead it is easy to worry and anticipate issues. Often, an innocuous problem will be predicted very early and we increase its importance by dwelling on it. Fear and anticipation are a poignant mix that culminate in an increase of tension. We frequently live far into the future and therefore we frequently create unnecessary tension.

Both of these elements of personal tension leak into social relationships. If we cannot individually deal with the past in a healthy manner or resist the urge to look too far ahead then we are very likely to create similar issues with friends and family. A fight or misunderstanding occurs in the past and we fail to deal with it properly or a problem is foreseen and becomes more of an issue than it should be. This is all due to our personal inclinations and a failure to live in the moment individually or collectively. Rising and underlying tension builds until people and relationships explode.

So again I must wonder, is it better that we allow this 'explosion' to happen in the moment or risk building greater tension in the future? Must we wage personal wars to solve our problems?

-The English Student

Securalism - Personal Affairs

"The road to the sacred leads through the secular." - Abraham Joshua Heschel

Religion no longer seems to have a spiritual basis, but rather a societal one. Listening to a preacher at one's chosen place of worship takes second place to creating appearances of attention to fellow worshipers. Some people even take their hollow evangelisation to the streets.

I have been stopped many times in numerous cities in this country by people preaching their religion. I must wonder what religious tenet it is that absolutely requires random strangers (such as I am to these people) to share a belief system. Is it a competition to see which religion garners more support, thereby confirming it to be the "correct" one?

I for one refuse to validate the wavering beliefs of these seemingly confused people. Even if I was compelled to, I very much doubt that there is anything that could be said to rejuvenate one's waning spirituality. These people mistakenly seek an answer to their subjective doubts in objective realms.

I could post my own beliefs here, but what would be the point? I do not require societal approval for personal philosophies.

-The English Student